• Dustin Keller and Jay Feely were at an event to support Muscular Dystrophy.  Both sent a shout-out on Twitter for the cause.
• Kerry Rhodes is expanding his Social Media Footprint by announcing on Twitter that he is now on Locker Blogger.
• Nick Mangold tweeted his appearance on ESPN’s First Take this week. He has a funny story about Mark Sanchez being a “Little Baby”.
• Kerry Rhodes is going to give a Pats fan a prize!? Say What?
• Kerry wants you to show pro-bowl love.  Poll.
• Have we not learned anything David Clowney?  Close the yapper, and play some ball! Oh, and you probably need to Win.

“The real good thing about being on the practice squad,” Cummings said, “is you’re going against our No. 1 offense. You’re going against the best. You’re getting the best practice you can get, you’re getting the best look you can get. That helps so when you do get pulled up, you’ve been doing it every day, going against the No. 1 offense every day. It’s not going to be that big of a deal.”

Cummings’ last game action was in the final preseason game against the Eagles when he grabbed seven tackles and a sack of speedy quarterback Michael Vick. A workhorse since training camp, No. 54 feels he’s continued to improve on several areas of his game.

“I feel like overall I’ve gotten better, better on my feet. I’m able to move and cover guys better,” he said. “I feel a lot lighter on my feet. I like to bring it, so that helps some, too.”

Cummings was a guy I gravitated to following when the team picked him up in 2008. The fact that he’s stayed with the team for the most part during a time where the linebacker unit has only gotten better is pretty impressive. I’d like to see how long the team can keep him around, and I’d like to see whether they can work him into the game plan. For now though, Special Teams is where he’ll have to make his mark.

Just a reminder that with Wes Welker healthy, things will be different for the Jets. Not just because Tom Brady has another receiver, but because it will help him avoid the big hits from the Jets blitzers.

While Brady was not sacked, he was hit 21 times, often finding himself running for cover. Edelman stepped in with eight catches for 98 yards, and was targeted 16 times. The since-released Joey Galloway had five catches for 53 yards, and was targeted 12 times.

What Brady could not do is what he’s done so productively before and since: Communicate telepathically with Welker for a sure completion.

This time, blitzing Brady may create more opportunities than it eliminates. Mentally, Welker gleans the pass protection, how much time Brady will have, and where the holes in the defense are.

“You have to understand who’s blitzing and things like that,” Welker said. “You may have to quicken up your route knowing it’s man coverage and they’re blitzing. You have to make sure you’re getting open quick, because the quarterback doesn’t have as much time as he usually does.”

It’s not just the hot route designed for a quick-hitting catch. Welker is also among the league leaders in yards after the catch, as well as one of its most sure-handed receivers.

When Welker went into RFA, I wanted the Jets to get him, and thought it was a great signing/trade for the Patriots. He and Brady are on fire, connecting for more than 90% of their passes during the last month. With that said, Welker’s more a product of the system than anything else. First, he plays with Randy Moss, who always draws the tougher assignment. Second, he plays mostly out of the slot, where he doesn’t have to worry about the sideline most of the time, so his routes are more multidimensional. Third, he’s got Tom Freaking Brady throwing to him.

Tom Brady has always been a fantastic timing QB, and one of the best ever at short-timing routes. Without Welker in Week 2, he had to hold onto the ball longer to get it to Edelman, Galloway or Moss, and thus he got hit more. The fact that Welker’s routes are often short and quick, means he can get open quickly on the second or third best corner on an opposing team, makes all the difference in the world. Although it would be nice to mark Revis on Welker, it’s probably not the smartest thing for the Jets to do.

I think that Dwight Lowery or Lito will take the bulk of the snaps against Welker, but Rex Ryan made a point to talk up Justin Miller yesterday, and he’s had real success in the past at covering slot guys. It’s going to be interesting …

The three coordinators took their turns at the podium Thursday. On whether Justin Miller can play defense, covering Wes Welker, the no-huddle, how to get Sanchez started quicker in-game, Ahmad Carroll’s “average” play and much more.

New York Jets Defensive Coordinator Mike Pettine, 11.19

On Justin Miller improving…

I’m sure he was working out when he wasn’t on a team, but there is no substitute for real football action. You need to get back into football shape. That’s something that comes with getting your timing back and just playing. It was good to see today. He really stood out today that he had a good day. I don’t know what he did for Mike Westhoff, but I just know from what he was doing on the scout team, he looked like he’s definitely getting his legs back, which is encouraging.

On if Miller will be ready to help on defense this Sunday…

We haven’t decided the active/inactive. At this point, the work that he’s getting is on the scout team. If he was going to help us on Sunday, it would be in an emergency role.

On where Miller could fit in this season on defense…

It would be a specific role. There would be a specific package of calls. Since he wasn’t here in the spring and for camp and for any off our offseason stuff as far as running the package, it would be too much to try to give him everything. It would be a defined role. Here’s five or six calls you need to know. I think that’s something he could be successful in. That will be a situation where if we feel he’s ready and he’ll be on the active list and he’ll be up, then we’ll find some work for him to do for us that can help us.

On how different it will be for the Patriots to have Wes Welker instead of Julian Edelman…

It’s a big step up. To me, Edelman was a poor man’s version of Welker and he did a good job filling in for him. Now they are getting creative and going to some four-wide receiver groupings that gets them both on the field which is certainly a challenge. Welker is definitely a step up. It’s easy to see that he’s really been a shot in the arm for the offense now that he’s 100 percent. He’s averaging close to 10 catches a game in the last month or so. Yards after catch are his usual. Then, he ignited them the other night as well with the punt return as well. He’s a weapon. It’s certainly justified that the guy is a Pro Bowl guy almost every year.

On how much of Darrelle Revis’ coverage of Randy Moss in the first game was man-to-man…

I don’t have numbers. We mixed our coverages up a lot. You have to do that against New England. You can’t give them one look. I can say this, we weren’t in a lot of true cover zero with no help. Nobody in the League is. Most teams in the League, I would be shocked if they averaged more than four or five snaps a game of straight man coverage (with) no help. That being said, a lot of times when there’s a post player a lot of teams play cover one, man free. A lot of times that safety is never a factor if their route stayed to the outside. That guy is basically on an island. If you play quarter-coverage, you’re four-across, the route can dictate whether you can help or not. It’s hard to put a number on that. What I do know is this, there were a lot of times where he covered him where it wouldn’t have mattered if he had help or not. He was all over the route. He did a great job and our plan will be similar again. We’ll mix what we do and have (Revis) matched up on (Moss) and know that will be a focal point. I’m sure it will be fun to watch.

On not being able to finish games defensively…

It’s frustrating. Sometimes you can handle it a little better when you just get beat physically. A jump ball gets thrown up and their guy out pulls your guy for the ball or it’s a tackle and the guy wins it and he makes a guy miss in the open field. It’s more of a physical thing. It’s frustrating when it’s a mental thing and some of our breakdowns are self-inflicted and that’s certainly been the case. It was certainly the case against Jacksonville. That for us was the most disappointing thing. That last drive where we had three or four mental errors that resulted in big plays for them. It’s hard enough to defend teams in this league from a man versus man standpoint when it’s the physical part of it, but when you’re gifting some yards you’re putting yourself in a position where you’re staring up a hill. That to me, looking back on some of the issues we’ve had, that has been the most disappointing. I think part of that is growing pains. It’s the first year of a new system. Rex and I came from Baltimore where we were four years into it and the guys understood it and they knew where guys were going to be. It was frustrating to not be able to jump right in and have it be seamless where the guys know it right away. We feel it’s a worthwhile system to wait and live through those, but it’s frustrating that we’ve had some issues with it and that it’s cost us some yards and potentially a game or two.

On if the mental errors are communication errors or guys just making mistakes…

It’s a little bit of both. Guys not on the same page. Some were individual things where it was a technique or a guy needed to be aware of more than just the one guy in front of him and made the mistake of playing more of a man-type thing where he needed to account for other receivers in the area. Other ones are communication. The obvious one would be Kerry (Rhodes) and Jimmy (Leonhard). Determining who’s on wheels, a balance formation, one of the safeties was down and one was in the post. They clearly weren’t on the same page. It’s a double-edged sword. At home, you want the crowd to be loud and we have one of the best crowds in the league in making noise for the opponent, but we stress it in practice. That’s one of the reasons we play the loud music in practice for our (defensive) guys when we play at home is because we need to make sure we can communicate when it’s loud as well. We know it’s going to be that way in the Meadowlands. That’s part of it. We stress it to the guys. Everybody knows the defense, but we need to get to the point where it’s graduate level, where we understand the finer points of it. I don’t know if anything other than experience will bring that, but we’re a work in progress.

On if there is a specific person that will cover Wes Welker…

I would say a cast of characters would be a bit more accurate.

On if Drew Coleman will have a role in covering Welker…

He’ll be up, so I’d like to think he’ll be involved with it as well. Sometimes it’s good with a guy like (Welker) to throw some different types at him. He’s a guy you can’t play one coverage against because he’s so good at reading. That’s one of the things, to me, is one of his strengths. He reads the coverage and I don’t think there’s anybody better in the League reading the leverage of a defensive back. If you’re outside, he pushes inside. If he knows you have to work inside because of the coverage, he’s going to push away from you.

On if there is a guy in particular that is better than most at cover a shifty guy like Welker…

I’d put (Donald) Strickland on that list for sure. Dwight Lowery’s played some inside, but I don’t know how great a matchup Dwight would be being a taller, rangier corner than a Strick or Coleman or even Marquice Cole. We had success in Baltimore with Corey Ivy who played well against Welker in 2007. Like I said, you can’t match one guy. You can’t play one guy. It will be a combination of things.

On if Sebastian Vollmer is getting help…

They’re helping some. You can’t go into a game against Indy and not have a plan. I don’t think there are any tackles in the League, I was in Baltimore all those years with Jonathan Ogden, and he had his hands full with (Dwight) Freeney as well. You have to mix it up because (Robert) Mathis on the other side is such a good rusher as well. We have a plan and it’s based on the first game and what they’ve done since and where we are personnel-wise since then. Some of it will involve trying to take advantage of their tackles and some will work on the other part of their offense.

On what he knows about Vollmer…

I can tell you he’s pretty good. He’s big, about 6-8. They do a real nice job technique-wise with their guys. You have a Pro Bowler like Matt Light who know might find himself struggling to get back in the lineup. That tells you something about that kid. He’s solid and he’s a good athlete. He kicks back well and he has such a great wingspan that you can see why a guy like Freeney had some issues on him.

On Kerry Rhodes’ season so far…

I know it’s been a frustrating year for Kerry. The easy assumption to make was you’re going to be the Ed Reed of this defense. Well, there’s only one Ed Reed. The defense wasn’t built for Ed Reed to make plays. It was made to stop people. Our big thing that we stress every week, it’s one of our mottos, is do your job and big things will happen. I can understand why it’s been frustrating from him because the production hasn’t come. As far as him doing his job, we grade guys every week and we plus/minus them on every play, Kerry traditionally grades out as one of our higher guys percentage-wise. Sometimes it’s luck. There was a play earlier in the year where David Harris ended up getting an interception that Kerry would have made if David wasn’t there. I can sense his frustration because I know he wants to be a playmaker and he’s made plays in the past. That’s something that I think will come in time. The more he and Jim (Leonhard) play alongside each other and understand the defense and can position themselves in the right places, most of the times we find the turnovers come and the plays come when you’re doing your job.

On Rhodes’ work ethic…

I don’t have issue with it. To me, Kerry has a good feel for what we’re doing. Can we as a coaching staff police what our guys do when they’re outside the building? No. We can recommend. He’s good in the meeting room. He knows his job. There are some guys where that’s their thing. When they leave the building, they put more on their plate football wise. I think as coaches we all want to be of the mindset that our guys are all going to be gym rats and football junkies and if they leave here, they’re going to go home and study tape. Not everyone is like that. That’s just part of that. As coaches, we all want him to be like us, which probably isn’t a good thing.

On if Marques Douglas is like having a coach on the field…

I don’t think this is anything you can teach. I think Marques has outstanding instincts for the game. When he studies tape, he can get a pretty good feel for whether it’s splits or during an actual game listening to line calls. He gets a good feel for whether it’s a run or pass. He does a good job communicating that with the rest of the defense. When our guys are off on the sideline, he’s a leader that’ll grab that group. To me, that’s one of the reasons we brought him here. He’s obviously on the down slope of his career from an athletic standpoint, but what he brings to us from an intangible standpoint I think is invaluable.

New York Jets Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, 11.19

On what he expects from the New England defense…

I think there is one thing that we can be sure of and that is it will be something we haven’t seen. We’ve come to expect that from Coach Belichick and (defensive coordinator) Dean Pees and their staff. They play everybody different. Injuries factor into a lot of things. I think what they are doing a good job of now is earlier in the season they went to the four down. The last couple of games, some of the Miami stuff, they’ve played 3-4. Against us they played all nickel. You really just don’t know. You prepare for everything. Our guys have seen more stuff this week than most weeks because you’re mixing personnel and looking at different things. Everything is different. You have four down, three down, subgroups. We expect to see extra guys in the box, post-safety defense. They feel really good about what they (have) going on on the outside right now. The corners are playing really good. It will be a surprise.

On the Patriots having Jerod Mayo back…

He’s a great player. With what he did last year, sideline to sideline player. I think he has a lot to do with getting people lined up, at least that’s what it looks like on film. He makes a lot of the checks. He and (Brandon) Meriweather are the two guys that you see doing a lot of the communicating. A big-time football player. They don’t bring him all the time, but when he comes he’s a good pass-rusher. He’s good in coverage, he’s just a good all-around player. It definitely helps to have him back. He is the one guy that doesn’t move around too much. You know he’ll be off the ball and the other guys are kind of interchanging. They move them all around. (Gary) Guyton plays different spots.

On if they will come after Mark Sanchez more than the last game…

Going back and looking at the film, they’ve never really been a big pressure team against us. Do I think they’ll pressure us more? Absolutely, I think that is what most teams are doing to us now. Going back and looking, they wanted to be sound in their coverage, they wanted to get the extra guy down in the box and see how Mark would handle throwing into zones with people in his face, but absolutely. I think we’ll get some more pressure. They’re kind of going a little more in that direction anyway. They have a thing that we call cover-nine where they bring six guys and just play man-to-man on the outside and in the middle with nobody deep. Those numbers have jumped up a bunch. You never know, but we are expecting to see quite a bit of pressure.

On if there should be less pressure with Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery…

It all depends on their corners. A lot of things about pressure is you are trying to get a quarterback unsettled. It’s not so much we know we’re exposed a little bit on the edges, but it wouldn’t get a hit on the quarterback. I think you go back last week against Jacksonville, one of the best plays I think Mark made was the throw he made to Jerricho when Reggie Nelson hit him. Usually hits like that have an affect on a quarterback. I think that is why we are getting so many blitzes. People want to find out how Mark is going to hold up when you have people around his legs and hitting him and knocking him down. I think that is kind of the formula people are trying to use against us now.

On the timeout at the goal-line against Jacksonville…

We hit the big play on fourth down to Shonn (Greene) on the boundary. It was on our boundary, so the look that we had, he was right by the pylon. What we tried to do was hurry-up. We call it an attack formation where we hurry up and get the ball snapped. The ball wasn’t spotted as quickly as we hoped. At that point, once the ball was spotted, Jacksonville had done a good job of adjusting and they had everyone in the gaps, so my concern that point in talking to Rex was we wanted to score. At that point we were behind. I didn’t want a bad play to happen. As we discussed it, we burned the timeout because we felt the most important thing, not that we wanted to burn the timeout obviously, we had to get in the endzone. That was the most important thing. In hindsight, I really believe we’re the best goal-line offense in the NFL, I believe that. We probably shouldn’t have attacked in that situation. We probably should have send our goal-line people out there and gone with what we do best, which is pound the football in down there. I really do believe that we have the best goal-line offense and execution in the League.

Maybe he got in. We just didn’t know. You never know in that situation. He came over and I asked, “Do you think you could have got in” and he said “Probably, I don’t know.” It was one of those deal where we had worked so hard to get down there, we didn’t want to take any chances. Burning the timeout is not a good idea.

On New England not allowing the “deep ball”…

That’s kind of been their M.O. for the last couple of years. The run, if I remember, is a run that Ray Rice had that went for 50-something yards. They do a great job. They call it GTFB, which means stay back. It’s hard because Meriweather is kind of rolling around back there and people get behind him. Again, you have to make the throws and Meriweather is a great player. He kind of reads the quarterback. I think that is kind of a new wave with safeties in this league. They are going to play deep and kind of read the quarterback, so when he is supposed to be in the deep middle of the field, you might see him 15-yards deep on the hash where the quarterback is looking. It’s hard to get behind him with the way the corners play. They are trying to funnel and keep everything in front of him. They are doing a good job tackling. We have some things that we think we can hopefully get and they are not all deep balls. There are some things we think we can get an advantage and find the seam in the crease. It can be yards after the catch as well. They are doing a pretty good job tackling.

On not getting the ball to Braylon Edwards in the first half…

We look at it, we actually kind of keep track up in the press box of where the ball is getting disbursed to different people, how many carries people have, how many does Thomas (Jones) have, how many does Shonn (Greene) have, how many catches. There are some times where we tried to get him the ball in the first half, things just didn’t work out that way. To Braylon’s credit, all he ever said is, “Hey Schotty, I can win on this. I can do that.” We went in and made a couple more adjustments. We reconfigured some things and got him involved. He can help us win and when he gets going, that play he made on that big incut on third-and-nine where he elevated up, we talked about that. His ability to go up and get deep incuts and deep balls is special.

On having Edwards as a “new weapon” in this game…

Coach Belichick and his staff are aware of what he can do. They played him a couple of years ago in Cleveland. It is new. He wasn’t here for us last game. It’s always been said that Coach Belichick is going to play the philosophy and the coordinator. I think this year he is kind of playing different. You have Mark, you have different pieces, now you have Braylon. I think he is going back and looking at our last couple of games this season and saying “What are they doing here? How are they moving the ball?” because obviously he is going to be a guy that they are going to want to stop. I know he always has had respect for our receivers from what I’ve heard, Jerricho, Laveraneus (Coles). Braylon just kind of fits in to that kind of role.

On having not scored a touchdown in the last two minutes of the first half…

(There are) a couple of situations. The one that jumps out at me last week we had a negative run where we lost four yards. Probably got a little bit conservative. The other one that jumps out at me is the Miami game on Monday night. We didn’t have a whole lot of time. He moved us down the field a little bit. At the end of the first half it is a little bit of a risk-reward depending on where you are, how much time you got with how aggressive you want to be. We’ll take into consideration are we getting the ball first in the second half? Is the defense up first? That all kinds of plays into the thinking. I think you are correct, I don’t think we have scored a touchdown to end the first half.

On how often they run the no-huddle…

The Tennessee game and this (past) game. We’ll go in and out of it some. Those have been the ones that it has been featured the most. He (Sanchez) likes it. There are some calls you can’t make at the line of scrimmage, but he likes it. He’s a tempo guy. I tease him, going back to the Houston game. He got really going and looked at me and said, “Come on, come on.” I said, “Settle down, you’re still a rookie right now (laughing).” He likes that tempo, he gets into a rhythm. He feeds off of that. That is what you saw last week with the two long drives at the end. We’re a rhythm offense, it’s not just Mark. We kind of get into a rhythm and make a couple of first downs and find our feel, if you will.

On why Sanchez has slow starts but plays better in the second half…

It’s funny because we look at it every week. One of the things that I will say that we are working with him on is he is really athletic and has really quick feet. I’ll go back to last week, he got sped up a little bit with his feet. There was a throw down in the redzone to Dustin Keller where he was so fast through his progression that it hadn’t really developed and he kind of yanked one because it hadn’t developed and he threw it at Dustin’s feet. The emphasis on him getting away from center and getting a little bit more depth in his drop early on to slow him down because he is an energetic guy who gets sped up. That’s not unusual with young players. I think he calms down as the game kind of gets going. Sometimes getting hit and things like that calm you down as well.

On trick plays…

We always carry a half-a-dozen of them in the gameplan. Quite honestly all of them don’t look good in practice. The ones that don’t look good we take out. That was a design that we feel really good about in seeing some things on film. I’ll go back to the first play of the game. Mathis was a guy that we saw liked to peak around in the backfield a bit. You all saw Jerricho get behind him. It was something that looked good on film, it looked good at practice. My personal opinion on calling (trick plays) is it is kind of a feel thing. I thought it would be a positive play. Looking back on it, I wish he (Edwards) would have run. You hope for a big play, there is a little bit of risk with that, at the very least he can run and make four or five yards. It’s no different than handing the ball off to the other guys. We’ll carry more some weeks than others. When they work they look really good and when they don’t work you look like you’re foolish.

On Coach Ryan wanting to put the ball in the offense’s hand at the end of the game…

It’s flattering. At that point of the game we were playing very well. We had a 13-play drive and a 16-play drive. Rex does a good job of (doing) what it is going to take to win. It had to kill him to make that call, it’s not his mentality. We were aware of what was coming. You have to give Jacksonville a lot of credit. It would have been great to have a done that offensively.

On if game-winning drives are a “right of passage” for quarterbacks…

Other than the Miami game, that was the last one. We got down to the seven or eight yardline then we got sacked and knocked back. That would have been his first comeback win, I guess. Even Brett (Favre) talked about that last year. That is one of the things that I learned from being around him. How he played in the first or second quarter didn’t really bother him. Third quarter, fourth quarter he knew he was going to make some plays. The thing we have to do with Mark is we have to start faster. What we have seen going through most of the games is he has played really well in the second half. You can go back to the last New England game, we struggled a bit in the first half, had some bad field position, but once we got going he came out firing. He has played really well in the second half.

On if he had any words as a mentor for Sanchez about his post-game press conference…

I really don’t get that involved with it. The big thing is he has to be himself. We have a great PR staff. I wouldn’t want to come in here and talk to you guys without getting briefed (laughter). I really think that he cares. It’s funny because he was consoling me after the game, I was really down. Then when I heard about it later I was like what happened? He’s growing. It is all part of the process and he cares. He is not the only guy, I think most of the guys, if not all of the guys in that locker room care. We want to win and we’re doing everything we can and looking under every stone to try to find the solution.

New York Jets Special Teams Coordinator Mike Westhoff, 11.19

On who will be the punt returner this Sunday…

Obviously, with Jimmy (Leonhard) and his hand (injury), he’s out. What’s looked best in practice is Jerricho (Cotchery). Plus I like the fact that he came to me and wants to do it. He looked really good. He looked smooth and we’ll play some two-deep like we’ve done before with he and Brad (Smith). The two of them together, I felt looked really good. Plus with Jerricho being short-handed, then I can play some different fronts and be a little more aggressive at times. I may want to do that some, so I liked what I saw with Jerricho. He looked very good catching the ball.

On when Jerricho Cotchery came to him and asked to be the punt returner…

We put an ad in the paper (laughter). We just talked about it. Everybody knew it because when those things happen, we have back-ups. Of course, Darrelle (Revis) has done it before. Dwight Lowery has done it. We were trying to see who the best was, and we were trying to look at everybody. Lito Sheppard at one time when he was young was very proficient at returning. He hasn’t done it for some time and that’s tough to all of a sudden say, ‘Ok, be the guy.’ Jerricho has always put a hand in and catches punts all the time. He felt real good about doing it. He said, “Hey Mike. I like doing this. Give me a shot.” As we looked at it at practice, I thought that he did the best job from what I saw. Back in the day, before he became famous, that one year when he was our kickoff returner, he had the highest average in the NFL. I think he was short two reps from qualifying because he had gotten hurt, but he can run. We’re not ruling anything out. We kind of catch them by committee which a lot of teams do. New England has basically done that the whole season. Now that (Wes) Welker is more healthy, they’re using him more than anybody but it’s something we’ll do. I really liked what I saw there and felt very comfortable with it. I’m quite certain that’s the way we’ll go.

On who will return kickoffs…

I hope we don’t have too many first of all. I’m just teasing. Justin (Miller) I thought looked better today than I’ve seen him look since he’s been back here. I thought he had an excellent practice. As a DB (defensive back), gosh almighty. He had a great day and he ran well. Part of that has been activation and who we can end up really using. You have to sacrifice a lot of guys (and) you have to be careful when you start getting injuries as to how you do it. These are tough calls. You lose a DB. What’s Jimmy’s (Leonhard) status going to be? Those are things and ramifications that we’re going to have to keep in mind when we do this. I thought he’s looked pretty good at it, but also Dwight Lowery. Now he only had the one he just picked up and ran in the last week. They (Jacksonville) tried the onside, which when they saw Wallace (Wright) leave early on the first one, only problem they had is I saw it too and didn’t warn him even though he still didn’t play it the way he should have. We knew it was coming, so we’ve got that and then they squibbed one to Rob (Turner). He picked it up. Then, they popped one even though our numbers aren’t what you want to be, the field position certainly was. We would take that, but I like what I’ve seen of Dwight. I like what I’ve seen of him at practice. We’re working Brad Smith back with him and I threw David Clowney in for a particular type of return. They all did a pretty nice job, so we’re going to see how it plays out in that regard. Part of that decision will be we’ll see how Jim (Leonhard) is. Do we need the extra DB? All those kind of things because you play a team like New England, you’ve got to dress as many DBs as you can because you play the various packages. That’s all part of the decisions that we have to make, but I feel pretty comfortable with all those guys. Whoever we end up going with, I feel good with it right now.

On if there is worry that Darrelle Revis will get injured if he is a punt returner…

To be honest with you in the heat when it’s going on, to tell you the truth, we don’t think that way. Darrelle has done it before and obviously you look at his numbers and you say, “Gosh.” He cut the one ball, we were in safe because they were in plus territory and yet he gained three yards. If he doesn’t catch it, that ball rolls to the two-yard line. That was a nice play that he made. Now the other one, I tell you the truth, I wish he had run straight ahead. We would have blocked it well. He kind of hesitated and he went inside. It’s tough for him. Here is one of the premier corners in football, maybe the premier guy that has such a burden. We really just don’t want to have to throw him back there and do it if we don’t have to. To use him last week, no we don’t think that way.

On if it is hard to activate Miller if he is only going to be the kick returner…

It’s pretty hard to do because he’s not a punt returner. He’s done it, but I don’t feel comfortable with him doing it. You’re really looking at a guy almost to do one thing if he doesn’t have a role on defense and he’s not been a teams guy. That’s a tough decision. Would I like to have him back there doing it? Sure. Have I seen that he’s head and shoulders (above the rest)? Up until today, probably not, but today I liked what I saw. That makes it a tough call. If we end up with (Dwight) Lowery or Brad Smith, I’ll feel pretty comfortable with them.

On in a perfect world would he like to have Miller returning kickoffs…

Sure. The last time we did, he went to the Pro Bowl. I know he’s a tough kid. He’s really practicing hard. He’s really trying to get himself back. In my opinion, today he practiced like a pretty dog on big-time defensive back. He did a good job. He made a heck of a pick and he’s really trying, so you can see how hard he’s working trying to get himself back in to it. Unfortunately, sometimes he’s got himself painted in a bit of a corner because the fact of being involved in so many other aspects of the game. That’s an issue we’re going to have to face, but I feel ok with it.

On what he lost when Leon Washington broke his leg…

A good friend. He’s just a multi-dimensional guy and a big-threat guy. He’s a guy that can take it to the house, plus he does so many other things for our football team. Tough blow. The thing that I felt really good about and I don’t think we’ve lost all of it is with Jim Leonhard back there was the strength of he and Leonhard together. I hardly got to use it. That’s something I was really counting on doing for a good bit of the year. Then, it never materialized. I have a sign in my office (that reads), “You can’t win with the players you don’t have.” I firmly believe it. I wish I had him, but I don’t, so you move on. You find a way with the next guy. I feel very comfortable with the people we have right now. You see this in the league all the time. It goes on. It’s tough and we don’t like it, but we don’t get to reschedule so we deal with it.

On if he talked to Washington after his injury…

Of course. I talked to him in the hospital when he was out there.

On what he said to Washington…

I don’t think anything earth shattering or that would be quoted. I have a great deal of affection for him and think a great deal of him. I’ve watched how he’s developed the whole time. Justin Miller was our return guy and went to the Pro Bowl. Leon was a blocker for him and really not much else. All of a sudden, Leon became the return guy and next thing you know he’s running touchdowns and then he’s scoring them on offense. I feel like a very intricate part of him and very close to him. I think he’s going to be fine. I looked at his X-Rays. I showed him mine and said, ‘I’ve got one worse than that.’ I was teasing him. He’s going to be fine. He’s a great kid. We see him here a lot. He comes in a lot to try to rehabilitate. As soon as this thing heals, jump back in and continue his career which I can imagine will be outstanding.

On waiving Ahmad Carroll…

There were some issues and things that took place. I didn’t have much to do with that to be honest with you. To tell you the truth, from my perspective it was very average production. I know he made some big plays and there’s big-play capability, but not near as many as you think. They double Wallace (Wright) not him. Sometimes when he’s single (Wright) goes down and makes the play. (Carroll) didn’t make it. He had a number of tackles he could have made. He was from me to you against Reggie Bush and let him run. Nobody blocked him. We automatically checked to a single flyer. It was pretty well-designed. I felt pretty good about it. He should have made the play. There were too many plays he wasn’t making and penalties. When you add that up with some other things that maybe weren’t exactly what you’re looking for, time to move on. It just is what it is. In my opinion, just plays he didn’t make.

On Larry Izzo…

He’s above-average.

On why Izzo is above average…

You have to watch the film. He did miss a tackle. The running into the kicker, he got pushed into it. That certainly wasn’t a penalty that was costly. He’s involved in a lot of intricate things because of so many things he can do. You’re comparing apples and oranges also. Larry has played much better in my system. He’s way ahead. Larry probably gets the most difficult blocking assignment every week. He’s pretty proficient in it. Last time we played New England, the single block, he knocked two guys flat on their (butts). Those were pretty good plays. Is he the guy he used to be? No, probably not. He gets down and covers. He gets in the mix of things in punt protection and punt team he’s on. He’s an integral part. He can fill in at fullback. He plays the wing. He blocks. His roles on all of our teams are pretty integral. For the most part, he’s performed pretty well. You have to sit down and really watch it. Is he the guy that I had down at Miami? No. Probably not. He’s coming to the end of it, but no one has been better than him in my opinion in that particular role. We don’t have anybody that can play as well. He’s done it pretty well.

On Carroll returning kickoffs…

He had no clue how to read it. He just ran. There is talent there. There is some talent there. We gave him an opportunity and tried to resurrect him and there were some things he did well, but not enough.

The fourth-year pro insisted that he has no regrets about his contract situation and perhaps holding out until he got what he wanted. In training camp, he turned down a contract offer worth $5 million per season but the new money wouldn’t kick in until next season, which would drastically lower the average of the contract.

Washington, a fourth-round pick, earned a base salary of $535,000 this season and will be a restricted free agent after the season minus a new collective bargainning agreement. Under terms of that agreement, the Jets could play hardball and sign him to only a one-year deal worth between $1.2 and $1.8 million, the tender for a fourth- or second-round draft choice.

“No regrets,” he said emphatically. “If I could do it over again … no regrets.”

Washington said he has no plans to fire his agent, Alvin Keels.

Leon noted that Tannenbaum had him that the team would address his contract in the off season, but as noted above, it’s going to be interesting to see just what sort of a deal the team will give him.  We’re glad he’s in good spirits, looking forward to coming back to the Jets, and we hope that he can be a productive player for the team for a long time, and be fairly compensated in the process.

We’re cutting and pasting at length here, so we’re sorry, but there’s no other way to do it.

Take it away, ProFootballTalk!

Revis … is taking issue with Randy’s prior comments.

“I was in man-to-man coverage,” Revis said Wednesday, during a conference call with New England reporters.

“[E]veryone saw the game, everybody knows I was in man coverage, that was the case,” Revis said. “He’s supposed to say that because [that day] wasn’t his day, he got shut out and was frustrated about it, which is cool. I don’t have anything against him. I still think he’s one of the best receivers in the league. When we go up against each other, it’s great competition.”

Revis tried to state his case without getting Randy riled up.

“I’m not going to disrespect nobody about anything,” Revis said. “If Randy beat me on a touchdown, yeah, I’ll live up to it. Yeah, he beat me. He’s a great receiver. I believe I’m a great corner, too. That’s just how it goes. When you play against the best, you have to bring your game. You also have to give respect to the guys that you’re going against.

“I mean, they get paid as well as I do. So there’s no trying to get into a jarring match or a trash-talking match with Randy Moss. I say what I believe and that’s it. You live up to it or you don’t. One thing I know is I’m giving him respect, he’s one of their best and it’s great competition between me and him. I love it, and I’m sure he loves it, too.”

Later in the call, a reporter asked Revis whether he played Moss in man coverage, with help “over the top” from a safety. The line of questioning produced an awkward moment, to say the least.

Here’s the excerpt of the transcript.

Q: Is it possible to have safety help over the top, while you’re playing man coverage, so it sort of allows you to be more aggressive when you have the safety help rolled over the top?

Revis: Do you know football?

Q: Well, that’s why I’m asking. You know, if you could clear it up for me.

Revis: Yeah, I’m asking you. I’m asking you a question. Do you know football?

Q: Maybe parts of it, but not that part of it.

Revis: What part do you know?

Q: I said, like parts of it.

Revis: OK, so do you know defensive coverages?

Q: Not very well.

Revis: Cover two, over three, cover one.

Q: Not very well, quite honestly.

Revis: Well, OK.

A reporter than explained that the specific issue arose because Pats coach Bill Belichick has been saying that Revis had “help over the top.”

Said Revis in response, “I don’t believe that statement, so that question is dead from now on. I’m not going to just keep on answering the question.”

It’s silly to say that Revis didn’t have “over the top” help. Yes, Revis was charged with covering Randy Moss. Yes, he did cover him on probably 99% of snaps that Moss was on the field that day. Yes there were times when he was on Revis Island. Did he have a good day on Moss? Absolutely. But the absence of Wes Welker made coverage shell help a lot more readily available for Revis and when you look at the tape, you can see it.

Revis is getting pulled into the dirt with the Boston media about semantics on coverages, and I think that depending on your definition of “man coverage” that would have to flavor how the question is then answered. By the strictest definition, “man coverage” means “isolation” or often referred to as Cover-0 … meaning there’s no help, a player has his charge, and that’s all. That’s what the Boston media is talking about. I don’t know percentages, but in the NFL, very few times are Cover-0 schemes used … it’s extremely risky.

“Man coverage” though can have zone help, and that’s what Revis might be talking about. So that’s where the Cover-1, Cover-2, Cover-3 terms come in. It’s coverage, with a +1, +2, etc. The numerical value explains how many zone coverage personnel there are on that given play. So even though Revis was playing “man coverage” on Moss (Revis had no other responsibilities) there were others during the game (Lowery, Rhodes, Leonhard, etc.) who had the responsibility to help Revis.

Let’s look at Revis’s interception, the play called for a Cover-1. Jim Leonhard blitzed from deep on Moss’s side of the field, while Rhodes who was in “centerfield” rolled on coverage to help, but might have been unecessary, based on Revis’s spectacular play.

Beyond that, there were plenty of other plays that Revis and Moss lined up, and there was often a floating DB fading to that side of the field, or covering inside or “over the top” zone to make Brady throw to a very specific place should he try and get it to Moss. One of the endearing things about Revis to this point is that he’s confident, but with humility … if that makes sense. So where did that interchange come from? It’s never good when players and scribes start getting adversarial about stuff like this. Hey at least it wasn’t with the New York media.

UPDATE: Florio asked a scout with the “All-22″ camera access to take a look at the film.  The conclusion? “”A lot is just semantics and interpretation … [w]ere the Jets truly double covering Moss all over the field?  No.  Did they favor him on most plays?  Yes.”   So basically, what we already thought.

Read about it here.

[Boston Globe - Jets Revis Has Bravado Covered]
[Boston Herald - Jets Revis Says He 'Shut Out' Moss]

It’s a good opportunity to get out and play and get some more reps on the field. Hopefully we get Jim (Leonhard) back, but if not I am going to be ready to play.

On filling in for Jim Leonhard…

It was good to get back in there and get some series with the first team. It was a lot of fun.

On how comfortable he feels with the defense…

I feel I am really comfortable with it. I know all of the checks, the different looks we are going to get, things I need to get communicated to the corners and linebackers. I feel real comfortable with everything.

On how the defense stays cohesive…

That was Rex’s plan when we went up to Cortland. All we had was each other. We learned what each other can do. We learned that we could have confidence in each other. No matter who is in there, we know they are going to get the job done.

I just changed things up a little bit. I thought I had everything figured out of course as a 23-year-old rookie would, but probably not the best way to go about it. It didn’t go over very well so, trial and error and hopefully a one-time mistake.

On if he was uncomfortable with past postgame press conferences…

No. Everything was fine with the press conferences. Really, when I just sat down in my locker after the game, there were these things that started coming to my head about the game (and) the throws. I just kind of started to anticipate what I thought would be asked of me and what I really thought of the game. That was exactly how it played out in my mind right away, one, to remember the plays (and) the guys that were making all the plays. That was the main thing. Once I got up there I kind of got rolling with it and kept going. I won’t do that again.

On the criticism he has received this year…

I’ll look back at it probably at the end of the year, but you learn a lot of this stuff on the fly. The best thing about being in an organization like this, Mr. (Mike) Tannenbaum (and) Coach (Rex) Ryan all have said, “You’re instincts are going to tell you that you’re right about 95 percent of the time. When you haven’t been right, if those are the things you’re going to do wrong, I think you’ll be just fine.” So (there are) just some little things to clean up and correct.

On if he’s surprised that everything he does is scrutinized…

No. It’s OK. It’s alright.

On if his mom inquired about his postgame press conference…

No. My brother asked about it. He said, “What happened?”

On if the New England environment will be the biggest challenge to date…

This is an important game for us to keep our playoff hopes alive. We all know that. It’s no secret and New England knows that. Their fans know that. They want to make it as tough as we did on them, I’m sure, when they were here. We understand that aspect of this game. We need to be sharp with our calls at the line of scrimmage, with my cadence and our shifts and motions. All those things need to be crisp and we can’t afford any self-inflicted wounds.

On if he is expecting something different on defense from Bill Belichick…

It can be anything. I definitely respect Coach Belichick and what he did the first game. It could be something similar with a couple of tweaks here and there. It might be a whole new approach. They have the talent in their defensive positions to change things up or stay the same with just a little tweak here or there. They obviously have the coaching to change things up and be sharp, so we need to expect another great effort as always from a Bill Belichick defense and anticipate as much as we can. We’ll probably have to adjust on the fly.

On what he did right in the first game against New England…

The biggest thing was no turnovers and just how successful they are when they win the turnover battle at New England. It’s like 55-1 when they win the turnover battle. It’s unbelievable, so we need to do our best to take care of the football and whether it’s just the physical mistakes, under-throwing the ball, throwing the ball too high, getting it tipped up in the air, we can’t afford mistakes like that. We need to be sharp because all of their players have very good ball skills. They get into throwing lanes and they hassle the quarterback, so we need to be ready for that.

On the Reggie Nelson hit…

I felt OK. The hit came pretty quick. He made a big-time hit. That’s what playing in this game is about, standing in, making a throw and Jerricho (Cotchery) making an awesome catch. (I was) not too fuzzy afterwards. Was that the screen pass that drive? (It was) on the goal line. That was just a footwork thing. That was terrible and then we ended up getting (the touchdown) it on the third down to Jerricho. It didn’t take me off my game. I think just the incompletion to Dustin (Keller) was a footwork thing and I got off-balance when I was trying to throw and it looked bad, but no, the hit didn’t affect my play I don’t think.

On the incomplete screen pass to Thomas Jones…

(I think that was Reggie) Nelson coming in and applying the pressure off the edge. We had the screen and we faked another screen and I started to roll and he’s diving at my legs. I didn’t get a chance to finish the throw, but the most important thing, especially when you can see right in front of TJ (Thomas Jones) like that, he’s wide open. You just have to give him a chance at the ball. Whatever kind of pressure you’re getting, you have to at least give him a chance to make a play on the ball. Tip it to himself or something or stretch out and catch it. there is no excuse for that, I have to make that throw.

On if he is learning the differences between college and the NFL…

You learn that every week and you adjust as you move on through the season and things progress. I think the biggest thing that you learn is you have to throw guys open, even when they are slightly open. There’s no more hitting a guy wide open on his back shoulder. A back shoulder throw a little behind someone and a guy with a cast makes an unbelievable play at the last second and picks you off. Was it the worst ball in the world? No. It wasn’t like a pop fly and he was just standing there, but there is no excuse for throwing a ball short like that. You can’t afford to do it in this league. Guys are too athletic and too sharp with their ball skills.

On if he is making progress on making the second reads…

I felt great in this past game about pointing out pressures and feeling where the blitz was coming from. The hit from Nelson should have been picked up. That’s why I got the ball out early. As soon as I realized it wasn’t picked up, that’s when I put my foot in the ground and made the throw. And then there were a couple of throws later in the game just throwing hots and sights and knowing where the pressure was coming from and my run checks were really good. I was really pleased with that. My eyes are getting a lot better and that has a lot to do with our scout team. They are really giving us a good look and trying to disguise as good as possible.

On if the game is slowing down for him…

I felt like these last three or four games I am really starting to get in the groove at some point in the game. I’d like to do it a little bit earlier and not start quite as slow. Even if it is a slow start, the most important thing is not to make those mistakes early. You can have a slow start, go three-and-out a couple of times and punt or get a field goal or something, but when you throw the first play of the game to the other team, they go down and score in five plays it might as well have been a pick-six. You can’t afford to do that. I did feel in the last couple of games I’ve really gotten into the groove towards the end of the game when it really counted. Those are got-to-have-it situations on third down, or fourth down in the Miami game. We really stepped up as a team and then individually I felt solid.

On how the challenges have changed as the season has gone on…

I think this past month has been a test of our mental toughness as a team. I feel like nobody has lost faith. We’ve lost four games on the last play of the game. I said it after the game, we are finding ways to lose when we need to find ways to win. Whether that means early in the game not throwing a pick on the first play of the game, converting on third down, holding them to a field goal. Whatever it is, those early plays come back to hurt us in the end. When we kick a field goal instead of throwing a screen pass for a walk-in touchdown. At the beginning of the game we could have had a touchdown, but OK, we’ll take three points, then you lose by one. You just can’t do it. That is the way these last few games have gone. It is impossible to not be getting better. I am having so much more experience, more throws, more checks, more reads. I’m definitely progressing, but the wins, this is a great week to start to get another win for us.

On if the coaches are asking for more out of him than earlier in the season…

I don’t think so. I don’t think anything has changed that way, my role. Run-checks are still pretty much the same, the reads are similar. I don’t see anything that is impeding my progress or making things tougher for me. I don’t know what to tell you on that one. I feel like we just lost some very tough games on the last play. The biggest thing that you’ve learned over the past month is how those early mistakes can hurt you at the end of the game and you don’t realize it. It’s like missing a layup early in a basketball game and you lose by a free throw. It’s like, “Man, if I would have just thrown a touchdown on the screen pass. If I could have just not thrown one of the picks against Buffalo, who knows. Maybe we go down and score and it’s not a problem.” You can’t get those plays back and you just have to keep fighting. Those are things we have to correct and start fast and then finish like we have, just finish stronger.

On if he expects the Patriots to come after him more this week…

It could be anything. We just have to be prepared for them. We don’t know exactly what it will be. We had a pretty good idea the first game. We were pretty close, we learned a lot, adjusted at halftime and played pretty well in the second half, well enough to win. Whether they blitz a lot or cover a lot, we just have to be ready to get the ball out or hang on to it and go through my reads.

On playing Jerod Mayo…

He’s definitely someone you need to keep an eye on. He helps the other guys get in position. He helps their entire group play more efficiently together. They’re a well-oiled machine. They’re tough on defense. They know where to play. They know how to get pressure on the quarterback up front, so you just need to be ready and solid with our protections and our hots.

On if critiques from the coaches affect his confidence…

I listen to the coaches, to be honest. That’s what they do. I want them to coach me. Coach Cav (Matt Cavanaugh), Coach Cal (Bill Callahan), Schotty (Brian Schottenheimer), that’s their job. To get me playing at the highest level. It takes a lot of coaching, especially for a rookie. I need it. Every quarterback needs it, so that doesn’t affect my instincts or my confidence. I know they’re only trying to help. That’s good. I welcome their coaching. It’s hard coaching. It’s tough coaching, but it’s for the betterment of the team and for me personally.

On if he relishes having the ball in his hands at the end of the game…

Absolutely. That’s what it felt like this past week where we just scored too fast. We gave them the ball back with four minutes. That’s tough on the defense. The other thing is that two-point conversion. You nail that, it puts the offensive coordinator in a different position. They have to score. Maybe they make another call where they’re really pressing and biting off a little more than he can chew. Who knows? (David) Garrard goes back thinking, “Oh my God, we’ve got to score,” and, “I think I can fit this ball in there,” and then we get a pick. That’s the kind of thing that happens when you put that kind of pressure on an offense. I’ve felt in the last quarter of every game, we’re winning. There’s no doubt. Whether we’re on the field or our defense is on the field, I’d love to be on the field throwing the last pass, just like in Miami. On any day of the week, I love doing that. We’ll come up with some wins here.

On his completion percentage…

Late in the game, I hit my groove. I was eight-for-eight or eight-for-10 at some point. (I was) really feeling good and converting some big-time third downs and getting easy completions on first and second down. In the first half, I dirted a couple of balls to Dustin (Keller), the screen pass, little throws that really affect your completion percentage. You want to start out eight-for-10. It’s just like a pitcher and the pitch count. You don’t want to start off with three balls. Then you really have to hone in on throwing strikes. If you get a batter down 0-2, you can do whatever you want. You just feel more comfortable. That’s the situation I need to find myself in, especially in a week like this, just to get some early completions and get my confidence going.

On why he thought it was wrong to have a prepared statement…

I answer the questions and you guys ask the questions. That’s the rule. I’m not here to do your job just like you’re not here to do mine. That wasn’t the most respectful thing to you guys and ladies. As much as I anticipate the questions and want to have an idea of what’s coming my way, it’s not my job to say, ‘Alright. The press conference is over.’ It’s your job to ask as many questions as we have time for.

On not getting the ball to Braylon Edwards in the first half…

That was something at halftime that just kind of hit us. It hit me in the locker room. I went up and talked to him right away and just said, ‘Hey man, we’ve got to get you the ball.’ Whatever it means, whether it’s throwing you a screen pass or handing it to you, he’s a playmaker just like Thomas (Jones), Jerricho (Cotchery), Dustin (Keller) and Shonn Greene. You’ve got to get them touches. Feed the studs. That was kind of weird. We didn’t expect that. We obviously didn’t plan that. He sure came alive in the second half.

On why they are not able to get players more touches…

Not converting on third downs. Less plays. The less plays you have, the less guys are going to touch the ball. When you throw the ball in the dirt on second-and-10 instead of getting the completion then on third-and-10 they cover everybody, they double Braylon, now he’s really not going to get the ball. A lot of that has to do with the quarterback. Get the early completions, spread the ball around, make things easier on Schotty (Brian Schottenheimer) and Braylon to get the ball.

Only two players missed practice: S Jim Leonhard (thumb surgery) and LB Vernon Gholston (hamstring). As Rex Ryan noted Monday, Leonhard is unlikely to play Sunday. From what I’ve been told, they may not know for sure how long he will be sidelined until late this week. Eric Smith will start in New England.

Smith, if you recall, played an integral role in the Week 2 upset of the Patriots. Used as an extra defensive back in sub packages, Smith blitzed Tom Brady a total of 17 times. All told, the Jets blitzed 33 times out of 47 pass plays, pressuring and/or hitting Brady 21 times.

As far as Gholston, it looks like he might be a scratch again this week, stay tuned on that one.

It’s a good reminder that Smith played a sizeable role in the game, but Leonhard still did play much of that game and of the two, I have to think that Leonhard is better in coverage than Smith.

Miami Dolphins Quarterback Chad Pennington has stated that he doesn’t know where the future will take him, but he’s open to the idea of coming back to the league.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback has completed the first phase of rehabilitation from season-ending shoulder surgery, and he’ll fly Wednesday to Birmingham, Ala., to consult with Dr. James Andrews, who performed the operation Oct. 2. They’ll map out a program for the next six weeks, and Pennington said he may wait until March to decide whether to play in 2010.

“I can’t make the decision until I get to the point where I see how I feel and how it responds,” Pennington said at a Dolphins luncheon. “Then I can say I’ve given it everything I can give it to make the right decision for me and my family.

I know a place I’d like him to play … I’d love to see him come back to New York and back up and tutor Sanchez.

Although I think it’s a very unlikely scenario, considering the way Woody and Tannenbaum drummed him out of town in the summer of 2008 and all but had a ticker tape parade for His Favreness. It would take a big man to come back to that same management, but Pennington has always been, if nothing else, a class act. Sanchez has made it clear that he wants to increase his accuracy, and who better to help him do it than the very guy who owns the completion percentage for the league, all time?

Of course, this doesn’t factor into what the team thinks about their own young stable of QBs. At this point though, it’s hard to tell what they really think of their backups. The team will likely release Kellen Clemens this coming offseason, and I don’t know how much confidence Ryan has in Ainge, or even Kevin O’Connell for that matter. It would seem to me that adding a veteran presence in the QBs room would be the right call for the team this coming offseason.

Also, I would imagine though that Pennington still thinks he can start, and coming to New York is basically a guarantee that he’d never play.